Catholics for Choice Renews Call for Congress to Pass the Women’s Health Protection Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, March 30, 2023
Contact: John Becker, Press Secretary
Phone: (202) 203-0931
Email: jbecker@catholicsforchoice.org
Catholics for Choice Renews Call for Congress to Pass the Women’s Health Protection Act
WASHINGTON – Catholics for Choice, which uplifts and amplifies the voices of the majority of Catholics who believe in reproductive freedom, applauded today’s reintroduction of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) in the House of Representatives and issued the following statement from Catholics for Choice President Jamie L. Manson, M.Div.:
“Catholics for Choice is grateful that once again, our champions in the House of Representatives will introduce the Women’s Health Protection Act – a critical bill that would not only protect the right to access abortion nationwide, but also safeguard it from future political interference and medically unnecessary limitations.
“As Catholics, we believe that healthcare is a human right – and that includes abortion care. WHPA upholds and advances those faithfully pro-choice values and reflects the reality that a majority of Catholics — and all people — support legal abortion in all or most cases.
“Our Catholic faith also calls us to center the lives of the people most marginalized in society, which includes the people most harmed by abortion restrictions: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; those working to make ends meet; members of the LGBTQIA+ community; immigrants; young people; those living in rural communities; and people with disabilities. We are especially grateful that the House included language that centers these disproportionately affected communities in its version of the bill.
“Last June, the Supreme Court cleared the way for state lawmakers to play politics with the lives of millions of women and people with the capacity to get pregnant, and now, more than half the states already have passed or are likely to consider laws that could be used to ban abortion entirely, despite the fact that support for legal abortion is popular. Abortion clinics continue to face increased violence, including blockades of clinics that intimidate patients, damage to physical property, and danger to clinic staff.
“It’s more important than ever that Congress act to protect the rights of women and pregnant people at the federal level by passing the Women’s Health Protection Act. Compelled by our faithfully-formed consciences and guided by our Catholic values, Catholics for Choice will not stop until our elected officials do just that.”
Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to a person’s well-being and respect, and affirm the capacity of all people to make moral decisions about their lives.
